NOTHING TO ADD TO CHRIST

Jesus is the manifestation of God and the expression of righteousness as Himself. ‘Righteousness’ has no referent other than the Christ of God. Righteousness as a word, is an abstraction that is subordinate to The Life who is Jesus Christ. The eternal righteousness and the one entity of everlasting substance, personhood and agency is the triune God.

CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Martin Davis explains how our oneness with God is achieved in Jesus Christ.

“The Word became human [“flesh”] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

ONE WITH GOD

“John describes an eternal “face-to-face” relationship between the Father and the Eternal “Word” (Logos) who was “with God.” Later, John tells us that the Eternal Word who was “with God” in the beginning, and who “was God,” “became human (“flesh”) and made his home among us.”

INCARNATED

“When John says “the Word of God made his home among us,” he means that the Eternal Word of God “pitched his tent among us.” John is referring to the “tent of meeting” or “tabernacle” in the wilderness, where the people of Old Testament Israel met with God (see Exodus 25:8; 33:7-11).

JOINED BY GOD TO GOD

“John is using descriptive language to show that Jesus is the tabernacle; that is, JESUS IS THE MEETING PLACE BETWEEN GOD AND HUMANITY.. Think for a moment about Who Jesus is. Jesus is the divine Son of God. Jesus is the human son of Mary. Jesus is both fully God and fully human. In him, God and humanity “meet” together in love, peace and harmony. In other words, in the person that we call Jesus Christ, God and humanity are reconciled.”

Jesus is the issue of life. Will we receive Him as our life without addition or subtraction. Will we receive Him without adding something of our own? Will we receive Him as a naked self without insulating ourselves from Him with our religion and assorted distinctives?

DEBILITATING DERIVATIVES

Christ our life is life without limit. Christ our life plus, is no life at all. To make a christ who is subordinate to the law. To begin with Christ and end with the law. To make the law our life with Christ’s help is at best misunderstanding and at worst an appalling presumption. To promote a divergent gospel to those who are naïve and prone to follow blind leaders is a course no sensitive person would want to follow.* "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea’ Matt 18.6 NIV.

*Any gospel that teaches that Christ had a sinful nature like us with the implication that if Jesus overcame so can we – is a false gospel and a false christ.

Davis, Martin M.. The Christian Doctrine of God. AsiAfrica Ministries, Inc.. Kindle Edition.